JCI online early table of contents: Feb. 6, 2012

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Contact: Karen Honey
press_releases@the-jci.org
734-546-5242
Journal of Clinical Investigation

EDITOR'S PICK: The heart can make 'bad' fat burn calories

Brown adipose tissue (often known as brown fat) is a specialized tissue that burns calories to generate body heat in rodents and newborn humans. Recently, adult humans have also been found to possess brown fat. This piqued the interest of researchers seeking to combat the obesity epidemic, the thought being that increasing the amount of brown fat a person has will make them lose weight. A team of researchers led by Sheila Collins, at the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute, Orlando, has now determined that hormones produced by the heart known as cardiac natriuretic peptides can cause regular fat cells (white adipocytes) from mice and humans to take on characteristics of brown fat cells in vitro. Moreover, infusing one cardiac natriuretic peptide into mice caused regular white fat to upregulate markers of brown fat and increase energy usage. Collins and colleagues hope that with further mechanistic studies it might be possible to exploit these findings clinically to help combat the obesity epidemic.

In an accompanying commentary, Andrew Whittle and Antonio Vidal-Puig, at the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom, highlight the importance of the data generated by Collins and colleagues and discuss the clinical implications of the results.

TITLE: Cardiac natriuretic peptides act via p38 MAPK to induce the brown fat thermogenic program in mouse and human adipocytes

AUTHOR CONTACT:
Sheila Collins
Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute, Orlando, Florida, USA.
Phone: 407-745-2134; Fax: 407-745-2032; E-mail: scollins@sanfordburnham.org.

View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/59701?key=71c8f4e7f1ce5a9bf63d

ACCOMPANYING COMMENTARY TITLE: NPs heart hormones that regulate brown fat?

AUTHOR CONTACT:
Antonio Vidal-Puig
University of Cambridge Metabolic Research Laboratories, Institute of Metabolic
Science, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
Phone: 44-1223-762790; Fax: 44-1223-330598; E-mail: ajv22@cam.ac.uk.

View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/62595?key=c907b50be9398cbe1b30

IMMUNOLOGY: How a stomach-colonizing bacterium protects against asthma

The bacterium Helicobacter pylori can be found colonizing the stomach lining of almost half the world's population. Although persistent infection with Helicobacter pylori increases an individual's risk of developing stomach cancer, it also decreases their risk of developing asthma. A team of researchers led by Anne Mller, at the University of Zrich, Switzerland, has now identified a cellular mechanism by which persistent infection with Helicobacter pylori protects mice from developing allergic asthma. Specifically, they found that Helicobacter pylori modulated immune cells known as dendritic cells such that they did not activate an aggressive immune response but instead activated what is known as a tolerogenic immune response. Although this tolerogenic immune response enabled Helicobacter pylori to persist, it also prevented the onset of unwanted immune responses to allergens (that is, it protected against allergic asthma).

As noted by Kouji Matsushima and Shigenori Nagai, in an accompanying commentary, these data provide new mechanistic insight into the intriguing link between the recent sharp rise in the industrialized world in the number of people with asthma and the simultaneous decrease in exposure to microbes, including Helicobacter pylori.

TITLE: DC-derived IL-18 drives Treg differentiation, murine Helicobacter pylorispecific immune tolerance, and asthma protection

AUTHOR CONTACT:
Anne Mller
Institute of Molecular Cancer Research, University of Zrich, Zrich, Switzerland.
Phone 41-44-635-3474; Fax: 41-44-635-3484; E-mail: mueller@imcr.uzh.ch.

View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/61029?key=43b6bf2cd6676065e46e

ACCOMPANYING COMMENTARY TITLE: Unraveling the mystery of the hygiene hypothesis through Helicobacter pylori infection

AUTHOR CONTACT:
Kouji Matsushima
Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Phone: 81-3-5841-3431; Fax: 81-3-5841-3393; E-mail: koujim@m.u-tokyo.ac.jp.

View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/61466?key=ab4d0ae3b04251fa1b4f

ONCOLOGY: A sticky problem for stomach cancer

Gastric cancer cancer that arises in the stomach is a leading cause of cancer-related death. A team of researchers led by Jun Nakayama, at Shinshu University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan, has now found that gel-forming mucin secreted by glands in the stomach lining suppresses tumor-promoting inflammation in mice.

Mucin secreted by glands in the stomach lining is characterized by the presence of specific molecules at its ends. These molecules are known as alpha-1,4-linked N-acetylglucosamine residues (alpha-GlcNAc). Nakayama and colleagues found that mice lacking the ability to add alpha-GlcNAc to the ends of mucin secreted by glands in the stomach lining developed stomach cancer. Moreover, expression of alpha-GlcNAc was decreased in the majority of human gastric cancer samples examined. As their previous studies have suggested that alpha-GlcNAccontaining mucin inhibits infection with the bacterium Helicobacter pylori, which is a major risk factor for developing gastric cancer, Nakayama and colleagues suggest that alpha-GlcNAccontaining mucin prevents gastric cancer in two ways: by inhibiting Helicobacter pylori infection and by suppressing tumor-promoting inflammation.

TITLE: Essential role of gastric gland mucin in preventing gastric cancer in mice

AUTHOR CONTACT:
Jun Nakayama
Shinshu University Graduate School of Medicine, Matsumoto, Japan.
Phone: 81-263-37-3394; Fax: 81-263-37-2581; E-mail: jnaka@shinshu-u.ac.jp.

View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/59087?key=262b13135d1ff1bd59fd

ONCOLOGY: New controller of cancer cell multiplication identified

One of the hallmarks of cancer is the ability of cancer cells to proliferate in an uncontrolled manner. The proteins c-Jun and c-Myc have a key role in promoting cell proliferation, and many human cancers are characterized by aberrant expression of these proteins. Understanding how expression of c-Jun and c-Myc is controlled could provide new insight into the mechanisms underlying tumor formation as well as provide new candidate therapeutic targets. In this context, Kiyotsugu Yoshida and colleagues, at Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Japan, have determined that the protein DYRK2 has a key role in regulating levels of c-Jun and c-Myc in human cells knocking down levels of DYRK2 in human cancer cells increased cell proliferation in vitro and upon transplantation into mice. Moreover, expression of DYRK2 was decreased in tissue samples of many different types of cancer, including breast, colon, prostate, and kidney cancers. Yoshida and colleagues therefore suggest that restoring DYRK2 expression could provide a new approach to treating many different forms of cancer.

TITLE: DYRK2 priming phosphorylation of c-Jun and c-Myc modulates cell cycle progression in human cancer cells

AUTHOR CONTACT:
Kiyotsugu Yoshida
Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan.
Phone: 81-3-5803-5826; Fax: 81-3-5803.0242; E-mail: yos.mgen@mri.tmd.ac.jp.

View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/60818?key=3ce39f511160966595a6

ONCOLOGY: Promoting instability in cancer cells

Many cancer cells are characterized by gain or loss of whole chromosomes and/or major structural changes to chromosomes. These chromosomal changes, which are said to indicate chromosomal instability, often drive tumor formation and/or progression by causing overexpression of tumor-promoting proteins or generation of tumor-promoting fusion proteins. Understanding the mechanisms underlying chromosomal instability should provide new insight into the mechanisms underlying tumor formation/progression as well as provide new candidate therapeutic targets. In this context, a team of researchers led by Richard Pestell, at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, has now determined that the protein cyclin D1 induces chromosomal instability and increased breast tumor prevalence in mice. Moreover, analysis of human breast tumor samples indicated that cyclin D1 expression correlated with chromosomal instability in the luminal B subtype of breast cancer. Additional experiments indicated that cyclin D1 mediated its effects by increasing expression of numerous genes related to chromosomal instability. Further analysis of this mechanism could provide new targets for anticancer therapies.

TITLE: ChIP sequencing of cyclin D1 reveals a transcriptional role in chromosomal instability in mice

AUTHOR CONTACT:
Richard G. Pestell
Thomas Jefferson University and Hospital, Kimmel Cancer Center, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, USA.
Phone: 215-503-5692; Fax: 215-503-9334; E-mail: Richard.pestell@jefferson.edu.

View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/60256?key=bf3b3d5f3177c46ce3f7

NEUROLOGICAL DISEASE: Site-specific nerve damage explained

Guillain-Barr syndromes (GBSs) are medical conditions in which a person's immune system attacks their peripheral nervous system the nerves outside the brain and spinal cord causing varying degrees of weakness, tingling sensations, and/or pain in the legs, arms, and upper body. In individuals with the acute motor axonal neuropathy (AMAN) form of GBS, nerve damage is associated with the presence of specific immune factors: antibodies that recognize molecules known as gangliosides (anti-ganglioside antibodies [AGAbs]). A team of researchers led by Hugh Willison, at the University of Glasgow, United Kingdom, has now clarified an important open question regarding which parts of peripheral nerves are damaged by AGAbs using a variety of cell- and tissue-based model systems. These data provide new insight into ways in which nerve damage is modulated at different sites.

TITLE: Anti-ganglioside antibody internalization attenuates motor nerve terminal injury in a mouse model of acute motor axonal neuropathy

AUTHOR CONTACT:
Hugh J. Willison
Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University of Glasgow,
Glasgow, United Kingdom.
Phone: 44-141-330-8384; Fax: 44-141-201-2993; E-mail: Hugh.Willison@glasgow.ac.uk.

View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/59110?key=c3564f6a73e1f8b5491d

###



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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 6-Feb-2012
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Karen Honey
press_releases@the-jci.org
734-546-5242
Journal of Clinical Investigation

EDITOR'S PICK: The heart can make 'bad' fat burn calories

Brown adipose tissue (often known as brown fat) is a specialized tissue that burns calories to generate body heat in rodents and newborn humans. Recently, adult humans have also been found to possess brown fat. This piqued the interest of researchers seeking to combat the obesity epidemic, the thought being that increasing the amount of brown fat a person has will make them lose weight. A team of researchers led by Sheila Collins, at the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute, Orlando, has now determined that hormones produced by the heart known as cardiac natriuretic peptides can cause regular fat cells (white adipocytes) from mice and humans to take on characteristics of brown fat cells in vitro. Moreover, infusing one cardiac natriuretic peptide into mice caused regular white fat to upregulate markers of brown fat and increase energy usage. Collins and colleagues hope that with further mechanistic studies it might be possible to exploit these findings clinically to help combat the obesity epidemic.

In an accompanying commentary, Andrew Whittle and Antonio Vidal-Puig, at the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom, highlight the importance of the data generated by Collins and colleagues and discuss the clinical implications of the results.

TITLE: Cardiac natriuretic peptides act via p38 MAPK to induce the brown fat thermogenic program in mouse and human adipocytes

AUTHOR CONTACT:
Sheila Collins
Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute, Orlando, Florida, USA.
Phone: 407-745-2134; Fax: 407-745-2032; E-mail: scollins@sanfordburnham.org.

View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/59701?key=71c8f4e7f1ce5a9bf63d

ACCOMPANYING COMMENTARY TITLE: NPs heart hormones that regulate brown fat?

AUTHOR CONTACT:
Antonio Vidal-Puig
University of Cambridge Metabolic Research Laboratories, Institute of Metabolic
Science, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
Phone: 44-1223-762790; Fax: 44-1223-330598; E-mail: ajv22@cam.ac.uk.

View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/62595?key=c907b50be9398cbe1b30

IMMUNOLOGY: How a stomach-colonizing bacterium protects against asthma

The bacterium Helicobacter pylori can be found colonizing the stomach lining of almost half the world's population. Although persistent infection with Helicobacter pylori increases an individual's risk of developing stomach cancer, it also decreases their risk of developing asthma. A team of researchers led by Anne Mller, at the University of Zrich, Switzerland, has now identified a cellular mechanism by which persistent infection with Helicobacter pylori protects mice from developing allergic asthma. Specifically, they found that Helicobacter pylori modulated immune cells known as dendritic cells such that they did not activate an aggressive immune response but instead activated what is known as a tolerogenic immune response. Although this tolerogenic immune response enabled Helicobacter pylori to persist, it also prevented the onset of unwanted immune responses to allergens (that is, it protected against allergic asthma).

As noted by Kouji Matsushima and Shigenori Nagai, in an accompanying commentary, these data provide new mechanistic insight into the intriguing link between the recent sharp rise in the industrialized world in the number of people with asthma and the simultaneous decrease in exposure to microbes, including Helicobacter pylori.

TITLE: DC-derived IL-18 drives Treg differentiation, murine Helicobacter pylorispecific immune tolerance, and asthma protection

AUTHOR CONTACT:
Anne Mller
Institute of Molecular Cancer Research, University of Zrich, Zrich, Switzerland.
Phone 41-44-635-3474; Fax: 41-44-635-3484; E-mail: mueller@imcr.uzh.ch.

View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/61029?key=43b6bf2cd6676065e46e

ACCOMPANYING COMMENTARY TITLE: Unraveling the mystery of the hygiene hypothesis through Helicobacter pylori infection

AUTHOR CONTACT:
Kouji Matsushima
Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Phone: 81-3-5841-3431; Fax: 81-3-5841-3393; E-mail: koujim@m.u-tokyo.ac.jp.

View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/61466?key=ab4d0ae3b04251fa1b4f

ONCOLOGY: A sticky problem for stomach cancer

Gastric cancer cancer that arises in the stomach is a leading cause of cancer-related death. A team of researchers led by Jun Nakayama, at Shinshu University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan, has now found that gel-forming mucin secreted by glands in the stomach lining suppresses tumor-promoting inflammation in mice.

Mucin secreted by glands in the stomach lining is characterized by the presence of specific molecules at its ends. These molecules are known as alpha-1,4-linked N-acetylglucosamine residues (alpha-GlcNAc). Nakayama and colleagues found that mice lacking the ability to add alpha-GlcNAc to the ends of mucin secreted by glands in the stomach lining developed stomach cancer. Moreover, expression of alpha-GlcNAc was decreased in the majority of human gastric cancer samples examined. As their previous studies have suggested that alpha-GlcNAccontaining mucin inhibits infection with the bacterium Helicobacter pylori, which is a major risk factor for developing gastric cancer, Nakayama and colleagues suggest that alpha-GlcNAccontaining mucin prevents gastric cancer in two ways: by inhibiting Helicobacter pylori infection and by suppressing tumor-promoting inflammation.

TITLE: Essential role of gastric gland mucin in preventing gastric cancer in mice

AUTHOR CONTACT:
Jun Nakayama
Shinshu University Graduate School of Medicine, Matsumoto, Japan.
Phone: 81-263-37-3394; Fax: 81-263-37-2581; E-mail: jnaka@shinshu-u.ac.jp.

View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/59087?key=262b13135d1ff1bd59fd

ONCOLOGY: New controller of cancer cell multiplication identified

One of the hallmarks of cancer is the ability of cancer cells to proliferate in an uncontrolled manner. The proteins c-Jun and c-Myc have a key role in promoting cell proliferation, and many human cancers are characterized by aberrant expression of these proteins. Understanding how expression of c-Jun and c-Myc is controlled could provide new insight into the mechanisms underlying tumor formation as well as provide new candidate therapeutic targets. In this context, Kiyotsugu Yoshida and colleagues, at Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Japan, have determined that the protein DYRK2 has a key role in regulating levels of c-Jun and c-Myc in human cells knocking down levels of DYRK2 in human cancer cells increased cell proliferation in vitro and upon transplantation into mice. Moreover, expression of DYRK2 was decreased in tissue samples of many different types of cancer, including breast, colon, prostate, and kidney cancers. Yoshida and colleagues therefore suggest that restoring DYRK2 expression could provide a new approach to treating many different forms of cancer.

TITLE: DYRK2 priming phosphorylation of c-Jun and c-Myc modulates cell cycle progression in human cancer cells

AUTHOR CONTACT:
Kiyotsugu Yoshida
Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan.
Phone: 81-3-5803-5826; Fax: 81-3-5803.0242; E-mail: yos.mgen@mri.tmd.ac.jp.

View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/60818?key=3ce39f511160966595a6

ONCOLOGY: Promoting instability in cancer cells

Many cancer cells are characterized by gain or loss of whole chromosomes and/or major structural changes to chromosomes. These chromosomal changes, which are said to indicate chromosomal instability, often drive tumor formation and/or progression by causing overexpression of tumor-promoting proteins or generation of tumor-promoting fusion proteins. Understanding the mechanisms underlying chromosomal instability should provide new insight into the mechanisms underlying tumor formation/progression as well as provide new candidate therapeutic targets. In this context, a team of researchers led by Richard Pestell, at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, has now determined that the protein cyclin D1 induces chromosomal instability and increased breast tumor prevalence in mice. Moreover, analysis of human breast tumor samples indicated that cyclin D1 expression correlated with chromosomal instability in the luminal B subtype of breast cancer. Additional experiments indicated that cyclin D1 mediated its effects by increasing expression of numerous genes related to chromosomal instability. Further analysis of this mechanism could provide new targets for anticancer therapies.

TITLE: ChIP sequencing of cyclin D1 reveals a transcriptional role in chromosomal instability in mice

AUTHOR CONTACT:
Richard G. Pestell
Thomas Jefferson University and Hospital, Kimmel Cancer Center, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, USA.
Phone: 215-503-5692; Fax: 215-503-9334; E-mail: Richard.pestell@jefferson.edu.

View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/60256?key=bf3b3d5f3177c46ce3f7

NEUROLOGICAL DISEASE: Site-specific nerve damage explained

Guillain-Barr syndromes (GBSs) are medical conditions in which a person's immune system attacks their peripheral nervous system the nerves outside the brain and spinal cord causing varying degrees of weakness, tingling sensations, and/or pain in the legs, arms, and upper body. In individuals with the acute motor axonal neuropathy (AMAN) form of GBS, nerve damage is associated with the presence of specific immune factors: antibodies that recognize molecules known as gangliosides (anti-ganglioside antibodies [AGAbs]). A team of researchers led by Hugh Willison, at the University of Glasgow, United Kingdom, has now clarified an important open question regarding which parts of peripheral nerves are damaged by AGAbs using a variety of cell- and tissue-based model systems. These data provide new insight into ways in which nerve damage is modulated at different sites.

TITLE: Anti-ganglioside antibody internalization attenuates motor nerve terminal injury in a mouse model of acute motor axonal neuropathy

AUTHOR CONTACT:
Hugh J. Willison
Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University of Glasgow,
Glasgow, United Kingdom.
Phone: 44-141-330-8384; Fax: 44-141-201-2993; E-mail: Hugh.Willison@glasgow.ac.uk.

View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/59110?key=c3564f6a73e1f8b5491d

###



[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

?


AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-02/joci-joe020212.php

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Mexico party picks woman as presidential candidate (AP)

MEXICO CITY ? A major political party in Mexico has chosen a female presidential candidate for the first time, as the ruling party bet that a charismatic former congresswoman will help it erode the lead held by its powerful rival.

After easily winning the National Action Party's primary Sunday night, Josefina Vazquez Mota vowed to unite a party battered by a bloody drug war and help it defeat the Institutional Revolutionary Party, which ruled Mexico for 71 years before being ousted by National Action in 2000.

"I will be the first woman president of Mexico in history," Vazquez Mota, 51, told cheering supporters.

The party's vote for Vazquez Mota over two other candidates sets the race for Mexico's July 1 presidential election. The two other major parties had already selected their candidates.

Vazquez Mota faces an uphill climb against former Mexico State Gov. Enrique Pena Nieto, the front-runner in the polls who could return Mexico's PRI to power after a 12-year hiatus.

The leftist Democratic Revolution Party chose Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who is making his second run after a razor-thin loss in 2006 to President Felipe Calderon. Mexico limits its presidents to a single six-year term.

The personable, cheerful Vazquez Mota invited party members to help her beat the telegenic and handsome Pena Nieto, who is married to a glamorous telenovela star.

"We begin a new road," said Vazquez Mota. "A road to defeat the real adversary of Mexico, who embodies authoritarianism and the worst antidemocratic practices; who represents the way back to corruption and offers impunity as a conviction. The adversary is Pena Nieto and his party."

Vazquez Mota is considered the PRI's strongest challenger, though Mexican voters seem weary of the ruling National Action Party which has governed for 11 years. Delegates are betting that a woman candidate could boost party appeal.

"It injects a certain new note of uncertainty. There's never been a strong female presidential candidate for any other major party before," said Eric Olson, a senior associate at the Woodrow Wilson Center's Mexico Institute. "It adds that historical element and maybe some excitement."

Others argue that the party, known as the PAN, is tainted by a crackdown on drug cartels that has seen violence soar, stalled reforms and corruption.

"Josefina arrives with a weakened party," said Soledad Loaeza, a political science professor in Colegio de Mexico who has studied the evolution of the PAN. "The electorate is not willing to see her as an alternative."

Jose Espina, president of the party's election commission, says Vazquez Mota obtained 55 percent in Sunday's primary, with 89 percent of the polling stations counted. The party's president, Gustavo Madero, later confirmed her nomination.

She was not Calderon's choice to compete for the party, though he appointed her education secretary after she served as his campaign manager in 2006. The party establishment had supported former Finance Secretary Ernesto Cordero.

But the party's rank-and-file membership handed her a victory from the polls. Her two opponents showed their support after the results were announced. More than 400,000 people voted in the primary

Calderon was not the choice of his predecessor, Vicente Fox, whose election in 2000 booted the PRI out of office after 71 years of single-party rule.

The fact that Calderon still won the party nomination and went on to surprise everyone and defeat Lopez Obrador provides a template for Vazquez Mota to pull an upset, even though she now trails Pena Nieto by nearly 20 points in the polls.

Cordero obtained 38 votes, and the third candidate Santiago Creel, a former senator who also ran in the 2006 primaries against Calderon, got 6 percent of the votes.

Women have run for president in Mexico before, but not representing any of the three major parties.

The PAN's choice of Vazquez Mota may have been the wisest, according to political analysts.

"A PRI victory is still the most likely outcome, but it's almost inevitable the race will tighten," said Pamela Starr, a professor at the University of Southern California who writes on Mexican politics. "It will be an interesting campaign, regardless."

Vazquez Mota's party opponents had complained she was a weak lawmaker and couldn't push through an educational reform as secretary.

A married mother of three, Vazquez Mota has used her family life on the campaign trail to garner the support of Mexican mothers and young voters.

"Today I'm committed to take care of your families like I've taken care of mine," she said Sunday. "I want to make Mexico the best country to live in."

Some say Mexico isn't prepared for a woman president, unlike other Latin American countries, but analysts disagree.

"I don't think Mexico is any less ready for a female president than Chile for example," Starr said.

Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Costa Rica are among the nations in Latin America that have recently elected women to their higher posts.

__

Follow Adriana Gomez Licon on Twitter at http://twitter.com/agomezlicon

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120206/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_mexico_politics

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Daily Kos: Sociological Systems, Insults, and Tribalism

Maher starts the segment in setting up a strawman fallacy for how he believes religious people characterize atheism, as another religion, and subsequently ridicules the claim without addressing the charge. And that?s fine, he?s a comedian, prone to hypocrisy and irreverence. But you dear reader, don?t have to be like him. Let me explain a few things, in case you missed them the first go around when making up your mind about what you believe or do not believe.

There are sociological systems of culture, rooted in language, values, and policy. These are institutions in society, such as the church, or police, or Wall Street, or the court system, etc. These institutions are social entities that impact individuals (Dept of Ed with Stafford loans) and wide swaths of the population (Dept of Health & Human Services and teen pregnancy rates). Marx & Nietzsche correctly identified Religion as an opiate, an institution that kept the populace from popular uprising despite all the shit that happens from authoritarians and capitalists. In order to combat this, they advocated atheism in an organized way. And that is what has happened (I like Nietzsche & Marx btw, this isn?t ?red baiting?).

As a social scientist in the last stages of my PhD, I deal every day in thoughts of policy, institution, and effects in the populace. I am well aware of the philosophical principles of objectivism, and how it manifests (as well as the merits of subjectivism). For those that wonder what I?m talking about, please see Bernstein (1983), Much of early social science research of religion was carried out by militant atheists in psychology and anthropology (Stark, 1999), and religious researchers later joined the mix in the academic discourse of peer reviewed journals, which, are not part of the popular discourse because private corporations have rigged the peer-review world for those who can pay (most academic institutions pay subscriptions so researchers have access to our literature, but the nonacademic typically does not read our dialogues).

But this is not to say that atheists get a free pass simply by denying the charge. You know, even broken clocks are right twice a day. The charge as laid out is something I?ve noticed in my interactions with self proclaimed atheists at my university, online at DKos, and based on popularized atheist leaders such as Dawkins, Harris, and Hitchens. There have been others in the past, such as Diderot, D?Holbach, Camus, Sartre, but the new breed of atheist seems to woefully ignorant of the God they despise, ridicule, and disbelieve. I might take atheists today seriously if it were not for their sins of hypocrisy.

Let us count the ways. First, atheism is organized. There are clubs for it. Atheists can go to meetings to meet other atheists. The atheists I know flock to hear popular atheist speakers. Dawkins came to my university to speak about two years ago. The Atheist Society on campus flocked to see him, perhaps to find new converts. But Dawkins had been invited as part of Darwin?s bicentennial with the Dept of Zoology, the Museum, etc. One guy my wife and I knew, let?s call him Dick (a PhD student), is a hardcore Atheist. He gets mad whenever he talks about religious people. He constantly ridicules religious thoughts or systems in a sort of fraternity sort of way. While in line, with Dick behind us, I heard him exclaim ?I hope some Christians start something, I want to punch them in the face? as he was flirting with a girl from the Atheist Society. He knew my wife and I were within earshot. Knowing Dick?s problems, I simply turned the other cheek and ignored him. Why? Because Dick was touchy about his unbelief. He saw the world as an Us vs. Them mentality. His tribe against everyone else.

As an aside; the issue of the scientific method being in conflict with religious attitudes was originally put to rest by Immanuel Kant in the Critique of Pure Reason (and then people forgot, or never bothered to read Kant). Kant sets forth the parameters of science as methodology, by recognizing what it can and cannot do. The methodology can measure any subject that has extension (space) and duration (time). Any concept beyond these two parameters is not suitable for science (such as concepts of divinity, which is classically outside of the material universe). This is apparent when heading into any museum with a Picasso, or a Rembrant, or it should be apparent when you enter a Cathedral, Mosque, or Temple. When the scientific method was being advanced, the catholic church saw it as a rival epistemology (how we know what we know), and the first atheist martyr is often cited as Copernicus (but you know what? He did not die for science. He understood science for what it was, a methodology).

Back to Dick?s sort. The Dawkins speech was likewise uneventful. Except for one person who had to be escorted out, the crowd was polite and listened to Dawkins. His message was not that intellectually curious; it was a talk on Darwin, his theories, and then it became a ridiculing session on organized religion, and a defense of atheism. That was when I decided that Dawkins was playing the role of a minister to his flock.

You see, in a sociological context, modern atheism is synonymous with a church. It provides a social milieu of self reinforcement, people can wear their atheist best (with T-shirts that proclaim their unbelief), and the ritual of ridicule is pervasive. It?s like a catharsis perhaps, a way to unload steam, to blatantly insult the opposite institution, to drag believers down and try to make perceived enemies just like them.

Let me quote Shapin (2010) as he explains Boyle (1657) on the problems of ridicule.

?For I love to speak of persons with civility, though of things with freedom.? (Boyle 1657)

The ad hominem style must at all costs be avoided, for the risk was that of making foes out of near dissenters. This was the key point: potential contributors of matters of fact, however wrong they may be, must be treated as possible converts to the experimental philosophy. If, however, they were bitterly treated, they would be lost to the cause and to the community to whose size, and consensus, validated matters of fact:

?And as for the (very much too common) practice of many, who write, as if they thought railing at a man?s person, or wrangling about his words, necessary to the confutation of his opinions; besides that I think, such as quarrelsome and injurious way of writing, does very little misbecome both a philosopher and a Christian, methinks it is as unwise, as it is provoking. For if I civilly endeavor to reason a man out of his opinions, I make myself but one work to do, namely, to convince his understanding; but, if in a bitter or exasperating way I oppose his errors, I increase the difficulties I would surmount, and have as well his affections against me as his judgment: and it is very uneasy to make a proselyte of him, that is not only a dissenter from us, but an enemy to us. (Boyle, 1657)?

The Dawkins? episode was not conclusive to me, until I ran into a vociferous and insulting crowd at DKos. Not all atheists are insulting mind you; my wife and I absolutely adore our friend Sally, who at least took the time to understand Christianity and Buddhism before rejecting them. She married an Aussie (who is a believer, and mechanical engineer) and they now live on the west coast. If you?re an atheist, and you can discuss things on an even keel, without getting emotional, then you?re doing it right. But that?s not my experience here at DKos.

People get emotional when their beliefs are questioned. Our beliefs are core truths, a priori, that must not be questioned (at least by others). When people are questioned, and shown inconsistences, they generally lash out. They make it a ?I know you are? type of thing. It almost always devolves into insults, but that?s how fundamentalist atheists actually start the conversation. To make matters worse, I?ve seen regular Atheists (on this discussion board as well), and Atheist leaders (like Dawkins) treat Science as a deity. It usually starts like this ?Science says that??

Bullshit.

Do not anthropomorphize a methodology. Science does not say anything. Scientists make claims, based on evidence, and their warrant ties their results to their claims. Science is a methodology based on reason, hypothesis testing, and replication of results. I?m a social scientist (and my wife is a science educator, also getting her PhD). We do science year round (I often accompany her for water samples, critter collection, etc., for her workshops at the museum). It is really easy for scientific studies to be wrong, either by blatant fabrication, or making a Type I or Type II error. The Scientific method is not infallible, but it is the best that we have and we can be measurably certain of our findings (95% confidence interval in Social Science, 99.5% in medical science). We often have to make corrections to previous studies, and sometimes it takes decades to catch culprits of malfeasance, if at all. We are drawn to news stories of academic misconduct, and it?s usually based on motivations of the Do or Die mentality at research one institutions. People?s jobs are on the line after all, and tenure is a crowning achievement in any academic field.

It?s the anthropomorphizing that gets me, and it?s what conservatives are catching onto. Religious persons recognize each other because of certain characteristics, and behavior. Religion is a social organization, it tries to affect policy, it has ritual, and it has tenets of belief. These are the sociological institutional measures as practiced in the West. The charge against atheists is pretty clear, and in my mind, the ideology of organized atheism bears the same resemblance to organized religion. It meets the same material needs while leaving a mystery at the top (Carl Sagan?s universe). Maybe it?s the dance that goes on between rival institutions that reshapes one to resemble the other. I really do not know.

But Bill Maher and I disagree on this issue. And I?m fine with it. I know I?m going to catch flack for posting, and chances are pretty good this post is going to be buried under a barrage of ad hominems, I know you are-s, and all manner of childishness. I was warned about touching on this topic by another trusted user, but it does need said.

Citations
Bernstein, R.J. (1983). Beyond objectivism and relativism: science, hermaneutics, and praxis. University of Pennsylvania Press.
Stark, R. (1999). Atheism, faith, and the social scientific study of religion. Journal of Contemporary Religion, v. 14 (1).
Shapin (2010). Never pure: Historical studies of science as if it was produced by people with bodies, situated in time, space, culture, and society, and struggling for credibility and authority. The Johns Hopkins University Press.

Source: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/02/04/1061774/-Sociological-Systems,-Insults,-and-Tribalism

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Roundup of Libertyville High School Sports - Libertyville, IL Patch

Cheerleading

Qualified from the?Illinois High School Association??Sectionals to the?IHSA??State Competition on Friday, Feb. 3, and Saturday, Feb. 4.

Poms

Finished in second place with their hip-hop routine at the Lake Zurich competition. This finish qualified them for the TDI state competition; they will compete in Peoria on Sunday, March 4.

Girls Basketball

Defeated Lake Forest 56-31 on Tuesday and finished the North Suburban Conference with a 9-3 record.

They tied with Stevenson High School for the NSC Lake Division Championship. The NSC Conference Championship will be played at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 8, at Vernon Hills High School.

Girls Gymnastics

Finished in fourth place at the NSC conference meet.

  • Jenna Dunsing?finished in first place on the beam and fourth place on the floor.
  • Rachael Metcalf?finished fourth on the vault.

The team will compete in the??IHSA??regionals today at New Trier High School.

Boys Swimming and Diving

Defeated Mundelein High School last Thursday in a dual meet and Zion-Benton in a dual meet on Tuesday. The NSC conference meet is Saturday, Feb. 11.

Wrestling

Finished in second place in the NSC conference meet.

  • Steve Polakowski?was the conference champion at 113 pounds.
  • Pat Fitzgerald?finished in second place at 126 pounds.
  • Charlie Meyer?finished in second place at 132 pounds.
  • Austin Pettinato?was the conference champion at 145 pounds.
  • Kevin Barbian?finished in second place at 220 pounds.
  • Chris McDermand?finished in second place at 285 pounds.

Libertyville High School?will host the IHSA? regionals starting at 9 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 4.

Information provided by Briant Kelly, athletic director,?Libertyville High School.

Source: http://libertyville.patch.com/articles/roundup-of-libertyville-high-school-sports-8e7fe036

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My Dream: Magazine Audition Video ? Bess Be Fit

Thanks to FitFluential, I have been given the opportunity to submit an audition to write for some major health & fitness magazines. ?Some of which I have grown up reading! ?This is my dream. ?This is my life. ?I would put my heart & soul into this opportunity?and I?m extremely grateful for having the chance!

I was nervous to do this because of all the other amazing bloggers that are also auditioning, but I figured I owed it to myself to try! ?I am 100% confident that I can contribute the best content to these health & fitness mags. ?I know I don?t talk about my full-time job much, but what I spend my work days doing is writing and generating content for a local university?s social media website. ?So basically, I write professionally?for my job. ?On top of having my certification as a personal trainer and my life revolving around health & fitness, I know I can bring something totally unique but also experienced to the table.

To start, just let me say that my life revolves around health & fitness!? I was a Division I collegiate soccer player at Wake Forest University where I graduated with a degree in Communications.? Being on one of the most elite women?s soccer teams in the country tested me in ways I could have never expected, but that is what made it so great!? The challenge is what I thrive off of and it is what sets me apart.? Also, with my Communications major, I took classes that focused primarily on Health Communication, Media Communication, Eating Disorders, Objectification of Female Athletes, and Fitness.? I am also a Certified Personal Trainer through the American College of Sports Medicine and have been the author of my healthy living blog, ?Bess Be Fit?, for a year and a half and still going strong!

I am also a professional writer for my job and have contributed many freelance articles to various websites such as livestrong.com.

I have completed two half-marathons and have my next scheduled in March.? I also recently signed up for my first full marathon!? I will be running the Chicago Marathon in October and I am so excited to push my body in a way it never has been pushed. ?It won?t be easy. ?I know that. ?But being able to share that process with readers would be a mutually beneficial relationship where we can learn from one another?and that is the best kind of relationship, right?!? A secret goal of mine that I have never before shared with ANYONE is that one day I would like to compete in a fitness competition.? I LOVE BEING STRONG!? Strength is so sexy and the confidence fitness competitors display on stage is incredibly inspiring.? I like to be the image of inspiration and that is another reason why I would be perfect for this opportunity.? I have so many different levels of fitness related experience that I would be able to relate to anyone, even the beginner!? I have suffered heart-breaking injuries that have forced me to start over from the beginning, so I know how difficult the process can be but I know that it is possible.

I love to try new forms of exercise and to create new workouts for myself and for others.? I also LOVE FOOD!? Who doesn?t?!? But finding foods that are clean, healthy, and treat my body right are the best kinds?.but I definitely don?t believe in depriving myself of treats!? Finding balance is so important in living a happy & healthy lifestyle and that is what I encourage to readers.? I also have a girly girl side, love sparkles, wine, and fashion.? Celebrity gossip & fitness tips are my guilty pleasure!? Even though I can be girly at times, I am a fierce competitor and I will kick your you-know-what!? Again, it?s about balance ;)

Please pick me for this dream opportunity.? I have grown up reading health & fitness magazines that my mom and grandmother had in our house and this is truly what my life is all about.? I am fun and relatable, and I love communicating through writing and videos with others. ??Choose me!

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Source: http://bessbefit.com/2012/02/02/my-dream-magazine-audition-video/

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Big Miracle Video Movie Review

See More: Movies, Drew Barrymore, John Krasinski, PopSugarTV, Watch Pass or Rent Movie Reviews, Video Movie Reviews, Big Miracle

Drew Barrymore and John Krasinski team up to save the whales in Big Miracle, but is the film as heartwarming as it seems? Check out our video movie review to see if this movie is a watch, pass, or rent.

View Transcript Transcript

Hi. I'm Becky Kirsch with Watch, Pass, or Rent, we're looking at Big Miracle. John Krasinski played the reporter who discovers 3 great whales trapped under the ice in the small town in Alaska when it's annual activist girlfriend played by Drew Barrymore gets wind of the situation, the story quickly becomes an international sensation. "Governor Haskell, we were wondering if you coulf mobilize a ship that can break through the ice?" "Are you serious?" This movie does have a lot going for it. You've got a great cast that includes Ted Danson, Kristen Bell, and Dermot Mulroney in addition to John and Drew. And it's set against a gorgeous Alaskan backdrop and it's based on a really heartwarming true story. But, unfortunately, the elements just don't blend together for a compelling film. "Do you have room for two more? Press have to find their own way out there." The movie follows all these different people coming go to save these whales. It was interesting to see how hard it was and how many steps they went through just to set them free. But you don't really feel emotionally invested in the story, and that makes it a little bit boring. There are tons of characters in this movie, but with the exception of John Krazcinski, is you don't get a lot of back story for any of them. Plus it just switches back and between each of them so quickly, that it kind of bogs down the whole story. As all eyes and efforts are focused on saving the whales. "Big Miracle" is a heart warming message and John Krazcinski is very cute, but ultimately it didn't affect me emotionally as much as I think it should have. I'm gonna have to give this one a rent.

Source: http://www.popsugar.com/Big-Miracle-Video-Movie-Review-21604420

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EU probes new Google privacy policy

(AP) ? The European Union's data protection authorities have asked Google to delay the rollout of its new privacy policy until they have verified that it doesn't break the bloc's data protection laws.

Google publicized its new privacy rules ? which regulate how the Web giant uses the enormous amounts of personal data its collects through its search engine, email and other services ? with much fanfare last week.

Since then, it has launched a huge publicity campaign informing its users around the globe of the new policy, which is set to come into force on March 1.

But that launch date may now be under threat.

In a letter to Google Chief Executive Larry Page, Jacob Kohnstamm, the chairman of the group of 27 national privacy regulators in the EU, said the French data protection agency has started a probe of the new rules and how they will affect Google users in the EU.

"We call for a pause (in the rollout of the new rules) in the interests of ensuring that there can be no misunderstanding about Google's commitments to information rights of their users and EU citizens, until we have completed our analysis," Kohnstamm wrote in the letter, which was sent Thursday and published on Friday.

Google's search engine has a market share of more than 90 percent in the EU, with rival services like Microsoft's Bing gaining little traction. The EU's competition authorities are already examining whether Google uses this dominance to stop other search engines from entering the market.

The new policy makes it easier for Google to combine the data of one person using different services such as the search engine, YouTube or Gmail if he is logged into his Google account. That allows Google to create a broader profile of that user and thus target advertising based on that person's interests and search history more accurately. Advertising is the main way Google makes its money.

But the company argues that combining the data into one profile also makes search results more relevant and allows a user to cross-navigate between different services more easily.

Google said in a statement Friday that it had briefed data protection agencies before making its new policy announcement and that none of them had had substantial concerns at the time.

"Delaying the policy would cause significant confusion," it said in the emailed note.

The company also published a letter by Global Privacy Counsel Peter Fleischer in response to Kohnstamm. Fleischer said the main purpose of the new policy is to combine the more than 70 different rules for Google's wide-ranging services into one, that is simpler and more readable.

"Our updated privacy policy makes it clear in one comprehensive document that if a user is signed in we may combine information she has provided from one service with information from other services," Fleischer wrote. He added that people can continue to use Google services without being logged into an account or create different profiles for different services.

Koosje Verhaar, a spokeswoman for Kohnstamm, who is also the head of the Dutch data protection agency, said she couldn't comment on how long the analysis of the new policy will take.

She declined to say whether there were specific parts of the new rules that triggered the probe, but added that the data protection authorities of several nations, including France, Ireland and Germany, had already publicly expressed concerns over the policy just days after it was announced.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2012-02-03-EU-Google-Data-Privacy/id-a020f04e2e754b4a9012dbbdcdb0ecb5

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What exactly is Foreclosure Short sale property and how they can ...

With a lot of house foreclosures available for home customers and investors to pick from, another setting of buying property gets popular within the housing market that is known as real estate foreclosure short sales. By purchasing a property just before it gets foreclosed with a bank or perhaps a lender, you can find high likelihood of getting a offer at additionally reduced costs which makes selecting short selling foreclosure a perfect investment. To start with you go forward and purchase a house it is very important possess a good knowledge of foreclosures exchanges to make an effective purchase.

Understanding short selling foreclosure

o Foreclosures short sales take location when a owner of a house struggles to pay their mortgage and his house faces an approaching foreclosure.

o At this time when the owner agrees to market the property in a amount less than the pending home loan the lender puts in the property for sale through a procedure known as foreclosure brief sales.

o Lenders accept to sell property from pre-foreclosure short sales to avoid the particular expenses active in the normal real estate foreclosure process.

o You can buy a house at a pre-foreclosure short sale property at a more affordable price which could go as little as half the market rate.

Buying a house through a short sale property foreclosure

Contact loan companies ? By being touching banks along with other mortgage companies you could have the newest information on qualities facing pre-foreclosure brief sales.

Search online provides ? There are numerous real-estate services available from which you are able to source comprehensive as well as latest information on this kind of foreclosures.

Ownership ? When you have simplified on a listing of prospective foreclosures exchanges options you need to check the possession of the property using the lender.

Inspect house ? Before making a deal through foreclosures short sale property it is extremely extremely important to create a thorough inspection from the property.

Submit your own offer ? Before you decide to talk with the particular lender, obtain a pre-approved loan to enable you to confirm your offer about the property available via foreclosures brief sale.

Consult a broker ? This is a great idea to obtain a real-estate agents assist in the legal as well as financial aspects of the particular pre-foreclosure brief sale.

Short Sale Investing

Source: http://g00gledog.com/index.php/2012/02/what-exactly-is-foreclosure-short-sale-property-and-how-they-can-purchase-a-property-through-a-single/

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Sugar 'is toxic and must be regulated just like cigarettes

In an article entitled The Toxic Truth About Sugar, published in the journal? Nature, the scientists add: ?A little is not a problem but a lot kills ? slowly.?

The U.S. authors warn obesity is now a bigger problem than malnourishment across the world, and that sugar not only makes people fat but also changes the body?s metabolism, raises blood pressure, throws hormones off balance and harms the liver.

The damage done mirrors the effects of drinking too much alcohol ? which the scientists point out is made from distilling sugar.

?

The authors, led by Robert Lustig, a childhood obesity expert at California University, say that, like alcohol, sugar is widely available, toxic, easily abused and harmful to society.

They say teaching children about diet and exercise is unlikely to be effective and instead the answer lies in taxes and restricting availability.

The study recommends using taxation to double the price of fizzy drinks, restricting their sale to those over 17 or 18, and tightening regulations covering school vending machines and snack bars.

?

Dr Laura Schmidt, also of California University, said: ?We?re not talking about prohibition.

We?re not advocating a major imposition of the government into people?s lives.

?What we want is actually to increase people?s choices by making foods that aren?t loaded with sugar comparatively easier and cheaper to get.?

The article also reveals that consumption of sugar has tripled in the past 50 years and that there are now more obese people than malnourished ones across the world.

?

It concludes that responsibility lies with the food companies, saying that while they may resist change, shifts in policy are possible if the pressure is great enough.

Examples include the ban on smoking in public places and the fitting of airbags in cars.

The article ends: ?These simple measures are taken for granted as tools for our public health and well-being. It?s time to turn our attention to sugar.?

However, other scientists have described the essay as ?puritanical?, saying sugar is only toxic when eaten in unrealistic amounts.

Barbara Gallani, of the Food and Drink Federation, which represents the UK food and drink industry, said that while urgent action was needed to beat heart and other diseases, it was wrong to focus on sugar alone.?

?She added: ?The causes of these diseases are multi-factorial and demonising food components does not help consumers to build a realistic approach to their diet.

?The key to good health is a balanced and varied diet in a lifestyle that includes plenty of physical activity.?


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Source: http://lifestyle.ezinemark.com/sugar-is-toxic-and-must-be-regulated-just-like-cigarettes-7d33b29f9efc.html

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Tax break extensions lose momentum before election (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? The Congress is unlikely to renew before November elections 67 temporary tax measures that expired at the end of 2011, Senator Orrin Hatch, the top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, told Reuters on Tuesday.

"I doubt it," he said of the possibility of restoring the breaks - known as tax extenders - as part of an expected renewal of payroll tax cuts before those cuts expire at the end of February.

Groups interested in extending the tax breaks, ranging from blue-chip companies to small businesses in poor communities, hope to revive the 67 tax breaks that expired at the end of 2011, according to the Joint Committee on Taxation in Congress.

The interest groups are pushing to get the costly tax provisions attached to the payroll tax extension for the rest of 2012. That bill is currently in a conference committee between the Republican-led House and the Democratic-led Senate.

Some lawmakers are worried that knitting tax extenders into the payroll tax cut bill is politically risky and are wary of doing anything that might hurt them and their parties in the run-up to the November elections.

A Senate staff source said House Speaker John Boehner, a Republican, was unlikely to attach the tax extenders to the payroll tax extension. A spokesperson for Boehner did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Tuesday.

Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, are pushing for the tax breaks to be part of the payroll tax bill. Republicans, including House Ways and Means chairman Dave Camp, are leery of that approach.

Baucus and Camp are both payroll tax conference members.

Many of the tax extenders can be revived retroactively. But some, such as a tax exclusion for mass transit and a work opportunity tax credit, are more difficult to renew retroactively.

No estimate for their collective value was immediately available.

The last two tax extender bills were passed almost a year after the tax breaks expired.

Lobbyists said they saw the payroll tax cut bill as the only tax bill with a chance of passage before the general election on November 6. A new Congress will take office in January 2013.

BUDGET CONCERNS

Lobbyists vying for a quick extension are trying to work together to get the tax extenders passed en masse.

"We are all trying to pull with the same oar at this point," said Bob Rapoza, who is leading a coalition that supports a new markets tax credit designed to promote investment in low-income communities.

Without a clear way to pay for the tax breaks, coalitions may splinter, leaving some tax breaks behind.

"This time around, some Republicans may say, 'I'd like to see some spending cuts,'" said Ken Kies, a tax lobbyist and managing director of the Federal Policy Group. "That could make this more complicated," he said.

A full year extension of the payroll tax cut alone is estimated to add $99.5 billion to the budget deficit, according to the Congressional Research Service.

(Reporting By Patrick Temple-West; Editing by Eric Walsh)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120131/pl_nm/us_usa_tax_extensions

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